A news article about the religious history of the Chicago area began with this paragraph about Zion, a small town north of the city: "Rev. John Alexander Dowie left little to chance a century ago, when the charismatic preacher founded the city of Zion as a carefully ordered religious utopia: He immediately outlawed sin."

It was both a great idea and a foolish presumption. God had already outlawed sin from the beginning, of course, thereby proving that pure legalism can't produce godly people. Rev. Dowie should have known that the "law" only confirms our sinnerhood.

We should make laws, but laws don't change hearts. Only Christ can change hearts and form "law-abiding" spiritual citizens.